Astronomy & Cosmology
Earth rotates on its axis
499 CEAryabhataAryabhatiyaPan-Indian / unspecified
499 CE
Proposed that the apparent daily motion of the stars is due to Earth's rotation, not the sky turning.
- Dated
- 499 CE
- As scholars put it
- 499 CE
- Originator
- Aryabhata
- Source text
- Aryabhatiya
- Region
- Pan-Indian / unspecified
- Discipline
- Astronomy & Cosmology
- Evidence
- Documented
- Confidence
- High
- Verification
- Reference-cited
Meanwhile in the West
Accepted in Europe only after Copernicus/Galileo (16th-17th c.).
Fair to say
Later Indian astronomers such as Brahmagupta actually disputed it.
Path to modern innovation
A correct insight into Earth's motion, a millennium early.
Transmission
Independent development; the idea was contested even in India.
Primary sources
- 4The Aryabhatiya Of AryabhataUnreviewed
- 5Aryabhatiya of Aryabhata: 3 volumesUnreviewed
References
- 1Aryabhatiya (499 CE)
- 2Plofker (2009)
Further reading
Related
Corrections and additional sources: edit IND-023 on GitHub.